The invention relates to a slat conveyor having a slat conveyor belt guided over at least two shafts, wherein the slats on which the material to be conveyed is transported are secured on endless carries arranged adjacent one another in the conveying direction in a spaced arrangement.
Such slat conveyors are used on a considerable scale in the textile industry, and are also used in substantially all fields of conveying work, for example in post office work for carrying packets, or in industrial machines and equipment.
The carriers for the slats are usually belts made preferably of leather which are several centimeters in width and of which there are usually a plurality, depending on the width of the conveyor, but at least two belts are arranged spaced from one another and adjacent one another, on which the slats are secured. The slats are usually secured with rivets or screws, by the use of nails or by latching-on.
Depending on the length of the conveyor, it runs over two or more shafts of which at least one is motor driven. Force is transmitted by the adhesion of the leather belts to the smooth shaft surface.
More particularly in the textile industry, slat conveyors are often used wherein the conveyor belt is extremely wide in comparison to its length. Belt widths of 10 to 15 m are not unusual for such slat conveyors.
More particularly with these wide conveyor belts an important disadvantage of hitherto known constructional forms becomes clear. The conveyor belts always tend to run in an oblique or skew fasion. Consequently, the slats are subjected to shearing forces and bending forces which often result in damage. The skew running often results in some slats becoming detached from the slat carrier, or individual slats may become broken if the slats are secured with a very strong connection on the carrier. But in both cases the damage which occurs makes it necessary to stop the conveyor and any other machines connected thereto which depend on its output.
It has already been attempted to obviate the disadvantage of the slats running in a skew fashion by making the slats of very robust construction and securing them with particularly durable securing means on the slat carrier. But it has been found that although in this way it is possible to improve the internal stability of a slat conveyor there is still a danger of fractures. In addition, above all in the textile industry material of very light weight is often transported so that when this is taken into account a powerful and expensive slat construction is not justified.